Harry Potter and The 7th Year Proposal

Chapter 5 - Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

He sat on his bed in Ron's room. Earwig was in her cage beside him (he'd taken a liking to Teddy's interpretation of his former owl's name).

"You ready, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged, tomorrow was the first day of their seventh year at Hogwarts. Today, they were taking Teddy to his grandmother's so he could grow up as a Lupin, not a Potter.

"Yeah, let's just go."

They headed downstairs and found Teddy in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley and Hermione.

"Daddy!" Teddy screamed. Harry felt a slight pang in his chest but was careful not to show it because Ron had followed him into the room.

"No, Teddy. Harry," he said slowly, poking himself in the chest. "Hair-ee."

But Teddy didn't seem to be listening, he had his arms up in the air and was wiggling his fingers, wanting to be picked up.

Harry obliged and held him up in front of himself, at arms length, to get a good look at him.

"Well, Ted, today you're going to your grandma's. Wont that be fun?" He threw Teddy in the air and caught him. Teddy roared with laughter.

"We ready?" Harry asked.

"Ginny's coming down now," Mrs. Weasley said.

And just then a vivid red head whipped around the corner and into the room. She saw Teddy in Harry's arms and smiled sadly.

"Alright," Hermione said in a little higher voice that normal, "we better get going."

"No," Mrs. Weasley said. "Only Harry and I."

The three others started to protest but Harry cut them off. "Actually I prefer going by myself, well–Teddy too, of course."

Now he had four people yelling at him and he had to admit it was a bit intimidating.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly. "He's like a grandson to me! I'm coming!"

"Well, he's like a son to me!" Ginny said fiercely.

"And a nephew to me!" Hermione said crossly.

"Yeah! And he's like an–an annoying, twitchy little tyke to me," Ron grinned.

"Listen" Harry began, "I need to do this, okay? He's my Godson. Not your grandson," he said to Mrs. Weasley. "Not your nephew," he looked to Hermione. "Not your twitchy tyke or whatever you said," he said to Ron. "And not your son," he said quietly to Ginny with his head hung. Teddy not being Ginny's son was the hardest to deny because Harry knew that she had become just as close to Teddy and he had.

"Thank you so much, though–all of you. But we have to leave," he sent one last apologizing look to Ginny before grabbing the diaper bag and walking out of the kitchen. He went to the living room and took a pinch of Floo powder. He stepped into the fireplace and threw the powder down quickly, before anyone could come and stop him. Emerald green flames burst up all around them. He hung onto Teddy tight as he shouted, "The Tonks' residence."

They spun and spun and he stepped out onto a hearth rug and enter the Tonks' living room.

"Hello, Harry," came a quiet voice from an armchair in the corner.

Harry stepped into the soft morning light of the room and saw Mrs. Tonks. She had light brown hair that fell past her shoulders and wide brown eyes that studied Harry. She had the haughty expression of her sisters and cousin. Harry felt a twinge of sorrow for his Godfather but quickly moved on.